Sunday, January 4, 2015

Domaine Sainte-Anne Cotes du Rhone, 2005

Still holding on to some Sainte-Anne baby fat, this 2005 CDR seems to be on its way toward the beautiful maturity that the 2001 has attained. Deep ruby, youthful ripe fruit smells and flavors. Savory red fruits with some aromatic herbs and spices. Some beautiful minerality just beginning to form on the finish. I bought a couple of cases of this wine ($8.99 at the time); it will be fun to follow over the next five years or so. It is, by far, the most ageworthy Cotes du Rhone I have encountered.

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What Is Artisan Wine?

My focus in this blog is on inexpensive wines made for every day enjoyment--generally wines costing less than $10 to $15 a bottle. While the majority of wines at this price level are manufactured for mass consumption, there are still many made by artisans, winemakers concerned about producing a wine that's harmonious, flavorful and true to tradition rather than current trends. These are the wines I seek out and drink.

About Me

I have been enjoying wine since the late 1970s. My pleasure lies not in chasing the highly touted wines but finding little known, inexpensive wines made by artisans. My favorite wine region is the Southern Rhone.

Since the early 1980s, Village Corner in Ann Arbor has been my primary source of wine and wine information. The store was closed for awhile but has now re-opened in a new location on Plymouth Road: http://www.villagecorner.com/

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Why I Blog

If you read this blog fairly regularly, you've probably figured out that it's mainly a diary of the wines I drink every night with dinner. You're invited to share them vicariously with me, if you wish. Artisan Wine on a Budget is admittedly an act of self indulgence. My wines and my views about those wines are ultimately not all that important to anyone but me. The act of writing helps me understand and appreciate the wines on a different level, and I enjoy that. I should make it clear that I am not ranking nor recommending these wines. They are not necessarily the best wines nor the best values. They are simply the wines I enjoy for the reasons that I state. Although I have been tasting and enjoying wines for about 30 years, that doesn't qualify me for any special expertise or critical judgment. In fact, it may have locked me into certain biases that you have probably already discovered. The product of my self indulgence, however, is an ever-growing collection of tasting notes, which I trust will be useful. As a wine lover, I spend a good part of my life searching for tasting notes on wines--those I haven't tasted and those I have. I want to compare notes with others who enjoy wine. When I agree with the taster, whoever it may be, I gloat; when I disagree, I move on to find someone who has tastes closer to my own.